We have gone through the same cycle many times and it is the most frustrating part of meeting guys. We always meet the first time as a couple and we text to confirm, my wife spends hours getting ready and prepping herself like for any nice date. Usually get to the meeting place 5-10 minutes early so we have a ******* and are settled in. Then we wait...and wait...and wait.
OP does make a good point about being stood up. I would guess that, for us, half the time the guy doesn’t show-up for a first meeting and almost none are truly on time (I'll admit, my bar is incredibly high; it means you are where you said you would be at the time you said you would be there). We have set up meetings with four different guys from this site and three have been no-shows (one no-show was verified). Our experience is that the numbers are about the same as with the old CL, AFF and SLS. Some we never heard from again, some texted that they "got busy" and others us text the next day like nothing happened or deny there was a meeting setup. Also had the slut shamer like
@slinky1. No-shows suck and what makes it even worse that it is so common that it is considered our problem to get over it because it has become so acceptable.
But the truth is that a big reason we are on this site (and others) is to meet the guys that make the BS worthwhile. The one guy from this site that did show up was great and he more than made up for the others! We kept seeing him for over a year and had some really fantastic times together.
We set up a meeting in person if it seems likely there could be a match. If they are a flake, let them flake out quickly. Also, if there is real chemistry then let's get moving! We share a few recent pictures and are honest about our body types and what we are looking for. If they appear to be serious, then I don't mind sending out a couple of pictures of my wife with previous Bulls so they can see that we are real players. After that, we should know enough about each other to decide if we want to move it to the next level and we set up a meeting. Pro Tip: the more time that expires between meeting on line and meeting in real life, the less likely anything will ever come of it. Bonus Pro Tip: if they are late for the first meeting, they will be consistently late. The good thing about a real life meeting is that you find these things out and can decide if its OK for you. We are very punctual but understand that everyone isn't so we accept "fashionably" late. OP's time line of 40 minutes late is certainly pushing the boundary for us. We do not give second chances to no-shows.
Another thing that works for us is that we set our expectations like it's a date night for us. If the guy shows up, all the better but even if he doesn’t, we get the pleasure of each other’s company. My wife has gotten pretty good at making up stories about what was going to happen and we make make a night of it ;-)